JCDA introduces a new feature from The Dental Advisor

In response to reader requests for information on dental materials and products, JCDA is launching a new feature this month called "The Dental Advisor." The new section will summarize the findings of clinical evaluations of dental materials and products conducted by The Dental Advisor, an evidence-based newsletter reporting on product performance.

"The JCDA editorial consultants who know most about dental materials speak highly of The Dental Advisor," explains editor-in-chief Dr. John O'Keefe. "We know from our outreach that readers would value this type of service. Our main goal in this joint endeavour is knowledge transfer. The experts at The Dental Advisor have done the research. Our aim is to pass along their findings to Canadian dentists."

Dr. O'Keefe adds that the new section will be published in the electronic version of JCDA, and will include a direct link to The Dental Advisor Web site for readers wishing to find out more about this publication.

The clinical consultants and editors of The Dental Advisor use a 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) "plus" rating scale. For comparative purposes, each "plus" value also has a corresponding clinical percentage (%) range. The clinical % rating appears in many comparative tables published in The Dental Advisor. For example, a product that receives an overall + + + + 1/2 plus rating would receive a clinical % rating between 91% and 95%. Sometimes physical and mechanical properties measured in vitro are included in the rating.

These properties are typically obtained from independent biomaterials laboratories located at dental schools. Ratings do not include cost of the product. The rating system of The Dental Advisor allows readers not only to compare features, characteristics, in vitro properties and cost of a specific category of products, but more importantly to compare how these products performed in a clinical setting.